This is all really interesting stuff but my original question was roughly how long do you need to do on a trainer to get similar benefit from a certain time on the road. My guess is 1.5% ratio. I will always go out on the road if it's not raining, icy etc. I have also stopped training outdoors before work in the winter. That's as much due to the problem of avoiding potholes in the dark as anything.

So if it's pissing with rain on a 3 hour training day how long do I need to spend on the trainer instead. Or rather than go out on a 2 hour pre work ride in the dark how long on the trainer do I need to do for similar benefit?

I think you are asking a question with no real answer. If you consider comparing like training schedules i.e. a set of intervals, the time added for a road ride will include waiting for lights, traffic, suitable road topography/geography, you will probably have to add at least 20% time to complete the workout.

The other factor is that indoor trainers do not really offer the opportunity for coasting (or at least you feel daft when you sit there without pedaling), so you end up doing more work in a given time period.

The big difference between road and indoor is the peak muscular loads - you don't get the huge effort spikes on the trainer.

1. to really excel at something. to succeed with extreme luck or ease.

Like A Boss

Based on the song "Like A Boss" by Andy Samberg and Lonely Island Boys.

The lyrics are about the responsibility of power or lack thereof. The concept behind the song is loosely based on individuals in contemporary pop culture (i.e. rap stars) who insist they're the most amazing person in the universe but are, in reality, rather ridiculous.

This scenario directly effects the meaning of the phrase. While most would say it signifies an increased level of "awesomeness" in a given situation, the context the phrase was originally used in would suggest the opposite.

The point of it is that you're saying you're awesome using a terminology that's based on making fun of people who say they're awesome. The irony makes it hilarious, especially because the term has run rampant and most people who say it don't realize that they're, in essence, making fun of themselves unknowingly. Double funny.

It can also be used in a sarcastic, summarizing capacity (see example below).

With the irony of it in mind, you can interchange it with longer explanations as I did in a Facebook post once:

By saying, "like a boss" what I'm really saying is, "my very busy and overextended work schedule is contributing to a substantial increase in the amount of alcohol I consume and it's not only pathetic, but also not exemplary of the type of behavior that's indicative of upper management."Just realized it's 6:12 PM and I was SO busy today that I didn't eat, I still haven't checked my voice mail and I've had to pee for the last 4 hours. Who needs a glass of wine? This girl right here. Like a boss.

_________________I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

This is all really interesting stuff but my original question was roughly how long do you need to do on a trainer to get similar benefit from a certain time on the road. My guess is 1.5% ratio. I will always go out on the road if it's not raining, icy etc. I have also stopped training outdoors before work in the winter. That's as much due to the problem of avoiding potholes in the dark as anything.

the number you're looking for doesn't really exist i'm affraid. burnt calories or time spent on a bike means nothing taken out of context. everything depends on how you ride. is it just riding or 'training' (with intervals, sprints and all this stuff). do you tend to ride 'flat out' or just keep, say, steady 60-70%. the weather is a important factor too; if it's cold you use more fuel to remain warm; if it's hot your body dehydrates and recovers differently etc., etc.. in the real world you can't just copy those factors into your indoor training, thus IMO you can't really determine if such ratio even exists

konky wrote:

So if it's pissing with rain on a 3 hour training day how long do I need to spend on the trainer instead. Or rather than go out on a 2 hour pre work ride in the dark how long on the trainer do I need to do for similar benefit?

at home you won't have anywhere near similar conditions, that affect your performance and energy used to eg. cover a 3h ride at say 35km/h at 15C and 10m/s wind. (though you can always ask your GF/wife to hose you down with cold water...). you'd need some magic formula to establish what sort of training would allow your body do a similar work, use exactly the same quantity of energy at a given level of intensity... and apply it every time you 'miss' your normal ride.

or, you can forget all this rubbish and just train as much as you feel is ok. no computer's gonna tell you how your body feels and whether you need to take spin harder or take it easy. IMO cycling is much more fun without all those computers, power meters and scientific stuff

_________________If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a.... clean cyclist!

They are on the trainer if they are injured such as a collar bone, wrist, hand, arm etc or there are serious adverse weather conditions otherwise they are outside on the road on their bike.

They have the luxury of going to warmer climates for extended periods to train. They train on the road.

The trainer is for maintenance or warm ups.

You win races by doing road work.

That's how it's done.

Trainer equals maintenance the road is for gains.

_________________I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

_________________I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

If the goal is to be fit March through August, what should we be doing during the fall and early winter?

Ben:<snip> Asides from this, what is possible to do during the winter is specific to the person's location and weather. In the cold-winter states and countries, I believe it is important to maintain three to four bike rides a week (indoors if necessary) to maintain your body's cycling specific muscle memory, but these sessions can be interspersed with other endurance, aerobic sports. Cross-country skiing, hiking, skating, running and swimming are all great methods of cross training. <snip>

_________________I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

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